The ever-increasing urbanization and mechanization of modern society has led to a corresponding increase in the stress experienced by its members. Physicians and physical fitness experts have long known that regular physical exercise can relieve such stress by increasing blood flow to the brain. For those who cannot engage in strenuous exercise, whether by infirmity or by time constraints, doctors recommend that these persons at least put their feet up above the level of their heart for a few minutes each day. This position allows blood and fluid to drain from the lower extremities and bathe the brain in oxygen and nutrients. Not only does this position tend to reduce stress by relaxing the body, it also provides a measure of cardiovascular exercise because the heart must pump harder to provide blood to the lower extremities.
A variety of devices to facilitate upside down relaxation and/or exercise have been developed by the art. For example, one popular product includes boots attachable to a horizontal bar so that the wearer may hang upside down. Similarly, exercise benches having an elevated end equipped with a bar or other means to restrain a user's feet above his head are used for vigorous exercise in many gyms.
For more casual uses, chairs which rock backward until the user's feet are positioned over his head have been disclosed. These chairs promote relaxation as well as exercise, and are known to promote good health by stimulating the flow of blood to the user's head. U.S. Pat. No. 4,367,870 to Birch, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,003 to Buoni disclose such devices.
Significantly, the invertible exercise chairs of the prior art have not provided handholds to permit a user to stabilize his position within the device. This limits the positions which can easily be obtained by failing to provide adequate means for stabilizing the user in the chair.
A need therefore exists for an exercise chair which provides a safe, stable base from which a user can engage in upside down exercise and/or relaxation, with handholds to facilitate stabilizing the user in the chair. The present invention addresses that need.